Stubbornly Yours
by Kyoshi7989
Summary: Toko drabbles, from friendship to romance and back again. Drabble Number 9: Everything's different at second glance.
1. Pretty

"Zuko, what's it like in the Fire Nation?" Toph's question hung in the still, humid air of camp. She rolled over onto her stomach, propping up her chin with her hands.

"Hot." Zuko brushed a sweaty strand of hair out of his eyes from where he leaned against a tree, hands behind his head.

"Come on, Sparky, you can do better than _that_. I'll ask again – _What is it like in the Fire Nation?_" Toph sat up, tapping her fingers against the ground.

"Um…it's, well….smoky. From the factories. And it's, uh, very…wet. Especially in winter." Surprisingly, Zuko was having trouble coming up with adequate words to describe his homeland.

"Hmmm. Are the people there nice?"

"No." Zuko replied, his voice screaming of boredom.

"_None_ of them are nice?" Toph sounded dubious.

"Well…some of them are. Most of them aren't." Zuko absentmindedly scratched his nose with one hand and swatted at a fly with the other.

"Huh. And what about the girls?"

"The…girls?" Zuko somehow got the feeling that he was entering dangerous territory.

"Yes, Princess, the girls. Are they pretty?" Toph's voice had that tone that just required an answer.

"….I guess they are." _What are you getting at, Toph?_

"How pretty?" Toph got up and began to walk towards Zuko, her face expressionless.

"Some are attractive, some aren't." Zuko nervously eyed Toph as she came closer and closer to him.

"How pretty am I, Zuko?" Toph was now about two feet away from him.

"Huh?"

Toph grabbed Zuko by the shirt, using Earthbending to lift him up two feet in the air.

"I said, _how pretty am I?_"

"Very pretty," Zuko said, desperately trying to squirm free of her iron grip.

"How pretty?" She raised her fist.

"Beautiful! Gorgeous! Amazing! Stunning!" Zuko yelled.

"And the Fire Nation girls?" The smirk was apparent on Toph's face.

"Ugly! Horrible! Revolting! Repulsive!" he shouted, eyeing her clenched fist apprehensively.

Toph grinned and let him drop to the ground. She brushed off her hands and shot Zuko a wide smirk.

"That's what I thought."

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**What d'you think? R&R, Tokonians!**


	2. Questions and Answers

Title: Questions and Answers

Description: "I don't like the rain," she says, and when he asks, "Why don't you like the rain?", her answer isn't what he expects.

A/N: I won't lie, I really enjoyed writing this one. You might be happy to know that the next drabble, after this one, is really quite funny... Thanks for the Favorite, Hotspur!

On with the Toko!

* * *

"I don't like the rain," she says, and Zuko just stares at her, bewildered, because it seems to him that the rain has always brought new life. 

"Why don't you like the rain?" he asks, and her answer isn't what he expects.

"Because I can't see it."

And the unwritten contract between them, from then on, is that Toph fears what she can't see.

XX

"I don't like the wind, either," Toph tells him when huge gusts of wind are blowing through the campsite and she is huddling in her little earth tent, seeming fragile against the rolling thunder and darkened sky. Zuko is dumbfounded, because flying has always seemed like something Toph would enjoy.

"Why don't you like the wind?" he asks, and she just shrugs, forcing him to recall her words from last time.

_"Because I can't see it."_

He isn't surprised when she reaches out to take his hand.

XX

"I really don't like the fire," Toph comments, as Zuko gazes at the flames licking the dried kindling. Zuko is confused again, because flames seem to bring warmth and comfort everywhere they go.

"Why don't you like the fire?" he asks, and once again she doesn't answer, so he must think of the Toph he knows, but the Toph he knows isn't afraid of anything.

_"I just don't, that's all."_

It pains him when Zuko realizes that Toph might fear the fire because of him and how he has been hurt. What pains him even more is when he realizes Toph might fear the fire because of _him_.

XX

"I hate the war," she whimpers, and it hurts seeing Toph's face bloody and her arms burnt, but what hurts the most are the tears running down her cheeks as she stands in the midst of a battle gone wrong. Zuko's eyes are forcibly drawn to the fallen airbender lying in front of them.

This time he doesn't question her.

* * *

Sorry if Toph was too OOC. Reading through this, she almost sounds TOO scared...What do you think? I have to admit, though, I really, really like the way this turned out. Please, REVIEW if you enjoyed reading this. Thank you! 


	3. Blush

When Toph first comes up to Zuko in the ballroom, he just stares at her.

"Well?" she says, her eyes narrowing. "I don't look that bad, do I? Say _something_."

Zuko eyes travel from Toph's flowing green dress, to her hair, done atop her head, to her pale skin, smooth as (Much as she'd hate to admit it) porcelain, and linger last of all on her sea-foamy green eyes. He does a double take with the realization that the blind Earthbender he's known for so long is, indeed, a _girl_. "You look pretty."

Toph's blush does not go unnoticed.

* * *

I like this one. Reviews? puppy dog face 


	4. Under the Stars

"You know," Toph comments to Zuko one night as the lie side by side under the stars, "You're not that bad, for an angry freak with a ponytail."

Zuko just stares at her.

Then he starts laughing.

* * *

Okay, I know it's short...but I like it. 

Review, please!


	5. Lost

"Toph?"

"Yeah? What is it, Princess?"

"Are we lost?"

"No, we've been wandering around aimlessly for hours on purpose."

"Really?"

_Thud._

"Ow!"

"Of _course_ we're lost, moron! And it's _all your fault_."

…

…

…

"…Oh."

* * *

Um...this is the result of writers block and intense boredom. Can you guys give me challenges, please? 


	6. Closets Are Good For Lots of Things

"So….that one with the pointy top the sun?"

"No, that's my name….and there's nothing pointy about it."

"Oh, so the wind sign is the one with a straight line."  
"No, that would be _your_ name. Spirits forbid you actually get one _right_…."

"Agni, this is harder then I thought it would be…" Toph sighed and massaged her forehead, drawing away from the upraised Asian symbols on the long scroll. "Can't I just memorize the speech? I mean, honestly – _upraised letters_. What were they thinking?"

"Yeah, well, Katara said you had to _read_." Zuko snapped, temper flaring. "_I_ didn't decide to have a fancy dress rehearsal with speeches and circus freaks."

"Ty Lee?" Toph raised her head, suddenly alert. "_She's_ gonna be there? Aw, man…that stinks. And _I'm_ not the one of the lovebirds who decided to get married….but a double wedding means it is only half the work, according to Katara. Which girlfriend is Sokka engaged to this time?"

"Suki." Zuko let out a heavy sigh as he thought of the formal greetings and itchy clothes that lay in store during the next week.

"Oh, that means it's _serious_….Snoozles – _married_! And Twinkle Toes, my little Earthbending pupil. Who'd a thought – well, Sugar Queen! We're the only two left….everybody else is getting hitched." Her words came out almost mournful, as if she thought a married life for her best friends would mean she would be caught between lovesick couples 24/7.

"Yeah…that's kinda weird. I mean, you'd almost think…."

"Just us two…"

"Some sort of _sign_…"

"You wanna go into that closet over there to talk this out?"  
Zuko eyed Toph as though he'd never quite looked at her before. "A _closet_?"

"You'd be surprised how nosy our dear friends can get sometimes." Toph sighed heavily, shaking her head in mock sadness. "And how useful closets are for solving problems."

The Firelord looked at her, a grin slowly spreading across his normally serious face. "Why not?"

XXX

"Aang, we need to choose what flowers we're getting and I need the Firelord's – I mean Zuko's, opinion."

"Zuko's opinion, dear?" the eighteen year old airbender looked up at his fiancé, voice strained. "I'll find him right away."

"Oh, yes, and Sokka seemed to be looking for Toph earlier – something about the Boulder being difficult – why he invited that man, I'll never know. And why'll your at it – I do have a sudden craving for stewed sea prunes."

"Yes….darling…." Aang said weakly. He slowly walked backwards towards the door, every so often snatching a nervous glance at Katara, currently having an animated discussion with the organ player. As soon as he was sure he was out of sight from his fiancé, the young avatar bolted, hurrying down the hall.

Suddenly, he paused. "Why are there strange sounds coming from that closet?" he wondered aloud. Aang stepped forward, opening the door wide, and then slamming it shut again, his face burning. "Oh, Agni….looks like another wedding is just around the corner…"

"Honey?" he called, scurrying back to Katara. "I think I found Zuko and Toph…And you'll _never_ guess what they were doing…."

* * *

**Sorry it didn't focus more on reading, but I realized avatar people write in Chinese, which I don't know...that naughty couple. Review, please!**


	7. Trapped

Title: Trapped

Description: Who would have thought that such good things could come out of being trapped in a closet?

Warnings: Implied sex, I guess. Nothing remotely explicit, though.

This is a follow up on the last one.

* * *

"This is all your fault."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"_No_, it's _your_ fault."

"Really? _How_, exactly, is it my fault, Sparky?" Toph demanded as she sank down onto the hard wooden floor of the closet.

"It was _your_ idea," he growled, giving the door a kick.

"Yeah, well, I could get us out of here if the door wasn't made of something as ridiculous as _wood_. Which is, actually, flammable. You could have gotten us out of here two _hours_ ago if you had burned it, like I told you to," she pointed out haughtily.

"It cost three thousand gold pieces!" Zuko hissed, glaring at her. "I'm _not_ going to waste that kind of money, alright? Besides, someone should be coming to get us…soon."

"Yeah, _sure_ they are," Toph snapped back at him. "Somehow, I don't think that anyone wants to get us, not after what Aang saw. By now, they probably think that by now we're –"

"Oh, please," her companion interrupted. "I'm aloud to kiss you, aren't I? And Aang should know – I constantly walk in on him and Katara while _they're_ making out."

"Ah, so you _admit_ it," Toph replied triumphantly, pointing at him almost accusingly. "_Making out_. That is _at least_ one level above kissing."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is _too_."

"Can you just _stop_?" Zuko asked finally. "I don't _want_ to argue with you."

"Then what _else_ are we supposed to do?" Toph replied wearily.

He looked at her, smirk. "Perhaps we should resume our previous activity."  
Shrugging and pushing back a victorious smile, she agreed, "Let's."

XXX

A few hours later, Toph leaned her head against Zuko's shoulder, commenting, "They should be coming for us soon."

"I'm not sure, I mean, _I _wouldn't want to walk in on us," he said, and kissed her.

* * *

I like this one alot. I'm kinda wondering, should I raise the rating to T? This is about as bad as it gets, I mean this is just kinda implied, and I'm not going to do anything explicit. 


	8. Top Dog

"Toph, stop that!" Zuko snapped, glaring at her and snatching away the blue oni mask she had been repeatedly throwing up in the air and catching once more just a moment before.

"Why?" brow furrowed, she plopped down in one of the overstuffed armchairs that cluttered up the Firelord's study, picking at her teeth nonchalantly.

"Because," he replied coolly, setting the laughing demon mask back on his desk.

"Are you in charge of me?" lifting her chin defiantly, Toph turned to face him, sightless sea-foamy green eyes burning into him.

"Yes, I am," Zuko answered calmly – he was feeling reckless today.

"What!" Toph yelped, jumping up from where she sat indignantly. "No you're not!"

"Oh, cool it," he cupped his chin in her hand and began to bring her mouth to his when he suddenly found himself pinned to the ground, trapped beneath a mud-covered and dirt stained foot.

"Oh yeah?" bending down, she smashed her lips into his with incredible force, holding Zuko's face to hers with an iron grip. Struggling, he tried to break free, but Toph only pushed harder the more he tried to get away.

After a long moment, the earthbender pulled away, raised her foot and spat on the ground. Turning her heel on him, she began to leave the room, only to pause at the doorway to glance back at a shocked and put out Zuko.

"One thing you should know, Princess – I'm the top dog around here."

* * *

Sorry it's short, I'm currently working on the challenges. 


	9. Second Glance

**A/N:** God, I haven't update in FOREVER. But, whatever. I'm more a Maiko and Tokka shipper now, but I found this on my computer in need of editing...so...here it is :D Hope you liked it, and that it hasn't been too long to keep reviewing, lolz.

Btw, I'm aware this isn't canon at all. Whatsoever. So...um...it's AU. Right? Yeah. Let's call it an AU.

* * *

At first glance, he was a towering, bulky figure whose vibrations showed a disfiguration over his left eye. He was a complete and total idiot, and as stubborn as they come. He was unhelpful, awkward, and weak. A perfectionist in terms of bending (although he wasn't that great) and pretty much everything else he cared to try, he was the biggest waste of oxygen she cared to contemplate (Toph never ceased to wonder why she always became lightheaded around him). His stupid smelly feet were so big that they messed up all her vibrations.

At first glance he was the Prince.

And she hated him.

At second glance he was a tall, muscular teenager with scars deeper than flesh. He was a bitter and regretful boy – _man_ – and almost (she said _almost _because anything else and he would rub it in forever) as determined as she was. He was unhelpful because he didn't think he could be otherwise, awkward because he didn't know how to act any different, and he wasn't weak, but simply kind. He had a passion for his element (like she did), and kept on trying no matter what until he got it right. His footsteps were heavier than any she'd ever felt, so different from Aang's light and carefree ones that Toph always had to wondered how much must have weighed him down by the time he'd wandered his way to her.

At second glance he was Zuko.

And she loved him.


End file.
